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Robert Bishop is a business coach and mentor with more than three decades experience in the professional services realm. He specialises in educating businesses, organisations and recruiters on how to run a thriving Temp/Contract desk or business. RCSA is excited to have teamed up with Robert to deliver a series of webinars for our AU and NZ audiences focused on Temp/Contract desk essentials. His most recent presentation with RCSA covered temp-post-placement aftercare, providing tips on how to develop ongoing client relationships to lay the groundwork for a positive temp workforce.
Robert is not your run of the mill facilitator. He also offers 1:1 coaching and mentoring support for Temp/Contract Consultants and Leaders. His coaching complements the information provided in his webinars, enabling Robert to tailor advice and help attendees create bespoke plans to cater for their specific, individual needs.
RCSA had the pleasure of catching up with the man himself, to find out how his coaching/mentoring is changing and improving the way Temp/Contract desks or businesses are run.
What are the most common mistakes you see consultants make when trying to manage Temp/Contract desks?
I think the reason why consultants don't succeed in achieving growth when either creating developing or establishing Temp/Contract businesses is a lack of consistency. Whilst avoiding the temptation to re-invent the wheel, there is a need for consultants to balance technology and traditional best practice, whilst avoiding spreading themselves too thin.
It's also important to possess a strong value proposition and to ensure you have an equal focus on your clients and your candidates. This demands consistency and a commitment to undertaking regular, commercially focused activity. Where consultants tend to fall over is by failing to engage in the activities which will potentially enable them to achieve multiple outcomes. The key is acting smarter.
Is it possible to successfully run a split perm and Temp/Contract desk?
In my opinion, balancing the two is very difficult, unless you have the right tools and support in place.
If you're looking to start a Temp/Contract desk or business, there needs to be dedicated time allocated to Temp/Contract. The problem is that if someone is working in a perm driven business and have consistent perm fees coming through, it becomes very difficult to encourage them to go and focus on Temp/Contract desks. What many don’t consider is that Temp/Contract desks can be more lucrative in the long run!
There is a webinar scheduled with RCSA for April 17. Can you give us a preview of what will be covered?
The webinars I am delivering with RCSA are very Temp/Contract focused and relevant for recruiters operating within Australia and New Zealand. They will look at how one either runs a successful temp or contract desk or manages a successful temp or contract business. That ties in very nicely with the coaching that I deliver, which is also reflective of that focus. My content is very outcome driven and commercially led. The sessions are an excellent precursor to my one-on-one mentoring/coaching programs where I focus heavily on encouraging attendees to work more strategically. The process has been very successful to date, and I am already obtaining repeat business from the clients I am working with!
Who would best benefit from signing up to one-on-one coaching/mentoring?
The coaching/mentoring I'm delivering is for individuals at all levels within the industry. It is equally applicable for those with limited knowledge as it is for individuals who possess many years’ experience. Indeed, more experienced consultants tend to treat it as part of their ongoing learning and development and use it as an opportunity to reset, as opposed to me telling them what to do.
One final thing I would be keen to emphasis is that in this particular market where a return on investment is very important for my clients, the coaching/mentoring attendees are able to quickly demonstrate an increase in their Temp/Contract revenue. This can be directly attributed to both the hard work of the attendees, plus the coaching/mentoring programmes which are very process -driven and focused on undertaking best practice.
To get a kick start on increasing your Temp/Contract desk revenue, you can sign up to RCSA’s April 17 webinar with Robert here.
To find out how you can access one on one coaching/mentoring with Robert Bishop, feel free to contact Cheryll Seslija from RCSA’s Learning and Development Team via email at [email protected]